The Solution for an Exhausted Soul
ASHLEY MORGAN JACKSON
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“… Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” Luke 10:41-42a (ESV)
The season I was in had been harder than expected. If I was honest, I wasn’t just physically exhausted — my soul was exhausted. I wanted to please the Lord but felt like I was failing.
Desperate for answers, I felt resentment growing in my heart because the Lord wasn’t making things better for me. If I could only figure out what God wanted me to do, I could move on from this awful place I had been stuck in for far too long.
All of this on my mind, I tried to get comfortable in the passenger seat as my husband and I drove through the winding roads of the Rocky Mountains. Impatiently, I asked him, “So what do you think I should do?” drawing him back into the endless conversation where I processed all my thoughts out loud, hoping he would help me untangle the mess inside of me.
As the question hovered in the car, just under the surface were my most pressing thoughts: I don’t want to make the wrong choice. I don’t want to do anything for the wrong reasons. I don't want to make God mad. I don’t want others to judge me. Am I good enough? What should I do to feel good enough?
Without taking his eyes off the road, he replied, “I don’t think what you do matters so much. I don’t care what you do — I care more about who you are and whether you’re kind, loving and happy.”
I burst into tears because I knew these weren’t just kind words but a reminder from God.
I was immediately reminded of Jesus’ words to Martha when she was busy, frantic and upset: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary” (Luke 10:41-42a).
Like Martha, we often worry about solutions, getting help and checking boxes. We become anxious over how it’s all going to work out. But the Lord reminds us again and again that we don’t need to worry. Only one thing is necessary: to keep our eyes on Him.
While God cared about what I was going through, He was prioritizing who I was becoming.
What is the one thing God is asking you to remember today? If this season has been harder than expected and you feel frustrated, fearful and forgotten, God knows all of that. But He is asking you to trust Him anyway. He doesn't expect you to figure it all out — instead, daily let your heart rest in Him. He has everything you need.
Oh, Lord, I am so tired of feeling like I must carry it all alone. Help me to remember to keep my eyes on You and to rest in You. Thank You for lovingly guiding me even when life feels confusing and hard. I choose to trust You again today. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
If you’ve tried it all — saying the right words and prayers, reading the right Bible verses — but nothing seems to work, check out Ashley Morgan Jackson’s new book, Tired of Trying: How to Hold on to God When You’re Frustrated, Fed Up, and Feeling Forgotten! Ashley is no stranger to this kind of spiritual exhaustion and discouragement. Rich with biblical encouragement, personal story and practical application, Tired of Trying is an invitation to wrestle with and face God in your greatest fears, pains and unanswered questions. Order today!
ENGAGE
You can find more encouragement from Ashley on Instagram, where she shares daily reminders about who you are and whose you are!
If you feel frustrated and unsure of what God is asking of you in your current season, Ashley has a FREE series for you: “What If You’re Not Stuck? 3 Days to Uncover What God Might Be Doing When You Feel Like You Can’t Move On.”
FOR DEEPER STUDY
Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved” (ESV).
In which area of your life have you started to believe it is on your shoulders to figure it all out? What is one thing you can do today to cast your cares on the Lord instead?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
© 2023 by Ashley Morgan Jackson. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
Originally published Friday, 01 December 2023.
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